Our Story
Havoc Motorcycles was born as a custom motorcycle shop in 2014. Originally called "Hot Baggers Custom Motorcycles", we loved to customize Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Wheels, body kits, engine work, audio systems - all driven by a passion to personalize a motorcycle into a unique statement. Our relationship with the top names in the industry - like S&S Cycle, Bad Dad, Paul Yaffe, American Suspension - started then, and continues to this day.
We found there was a big demand for custom products, but a bigger demand for our advice about how to do things, and
that grew across Canada pretty quickly. Soon, customers across the country were calling us, and so were independent shops and even Harley-Davidson dealers. So we opened a website for custom parts, and took the time to offer everyone the same personal service whether a customer was next door, or across the country.
By 2016, we decided to go to the next level. Why replace half (or more) of the parts on a Harley-Davidson, when we could start from scratch and build a bike from the ground-up. So, we designed our own bike. At that time, we changed our
name to Havoc Motorcycles. We wanted to make "production" bikes, but we wanted to keep the ability for customers to personalize and customize the machine when it was being built - as an alternative to the "big box store" motorcycle.
We also wanted to be sure our bikes were up to standard, in terms of quality and safety. So, we did two things:
First, we made a partnership with an established motorcycle
manufacturer from the United States, the Wild West Motor Company. They had their roots in the California chopper scene since the 1980s, and really understood motorcycles inside and out. A deal was made that we would make and sell their Gunfire pro-street and Dragoon chopper in Canada, and they would make our bagger-style bikes in the United States. So, for a time, those iconic bikes were badged as Havoc Motorcycles, which was really cool.
That's also when we absorbed Wild West's 40 years of experience and drafted our Quality Assurance Policy, and
embedded excellence into everything we did.
The second thing we did was register as a motorcycle manufacturer. After a year of internal testing, track testing, and independent third-party engineer testing in Nevada, the results were impressive. Our bike accelerated, handled, and stopped extremely well - yes, even with the 26" wheel up front. We did it.
In July 2018, we were granted Ministerial Authorization to affix the Canadian National Safety Mark on our bikes by the Canadian Department of Transport. It's the best feeling in the world to be recognized for achieving a high standard, and the certificate with the Canadian Coat of Arms hangs proudly in
the assembly area as a reminder of the standard of trust we strive for every day.
We also registered with the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturer's Association, and Havoc Motorcycles was granted a coveted WMI Code - the World Manufacturer Identifier. Now, we could issue 17-digit VIN numbers.
If you see a cool bike with a VIN starting in 2H9, it's ours. We also got our bikes in the database of the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Now, customers could register and insure a custom
bike, just like a "Big Box Store" motorcycle.
Yes, we also did Celebrity Bikes, like making the "Iron Flight" Special Edition for Mike Tyson. To us, it was all about partnerships, and sharing a passion for making things with interesting people.
That passion brought us to our good friends at Aquatic AV, who you all know as a world leader in waterproof audio systems for marine and motorcycle applications. We loved their products, and we also really liked the people there - the
owner, Bob, and his crew, are the best of the best. We became the first Canadian Distributor for their products, and sent them out through our network of dealers in Canada.
We also did something really cool with Aquatic AV, by developing a new range of motorcycle stereo systems, which we'll be announcing in the Summer of 2025.
Also in 2025, we'll be announcing a brand new line of electric sport motorcycles, uniquely offering customers the ability to customize those too. Stay tuned - the ride continues!
